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History

Servicing the Hawaiian Islands and Guam since 1935

It all began with a vision of what was possible. Born in San Francisco on Christmas Day, 1904, Milt Daly grew up with a fascination of the docks. After the death of his mother, Milt was basically left alone to raise himself at a young age. He learned to survive and found out about life on the streets of the city. Always a self-starter, he got his first job selling newspapers. Later he moved on to work for a local butcher and eventually ended up working on the docks for his uncle.

Milt loved the excitement of working there... the fast-paced loading and unloading of freight, the cargo ships coming and going…the simple sounds of life on the docks. So it was, in 1935, with little money in his pocket, he and his wife Louise risked it all and bought a low-bed truck. Milt drove around the San Francisco Bay Area and picked up freight. He delivered it to the wharf for free! (Back then, prior to forklifts and containers, freight was loaded loosely in the back of the trucks and taken down to the pier where it was off-loaded onto the ground. Longshoremen would then load it into cargo nets and hoist it aboard the vessel.)

Hawaiian Express Service is one of the few carriers with a seasonal Hawaii division to ensure the expertise necessary to service this unique market. All of our island employees are Kama'aina (island born). They know and understand the special needs of your Hawaiian customers. Our mainland professionals are dedicated to maintaining the high quality of service that you have come to expect and require in today's marketplace.

As Milt's reputation for quality service became more widely noted, he began charging customers $1.00 to cover pick-up, delivery, and paperwork associated with their freight. He built on his reputation of quality service and silently grew his company, always keeping a friendly, congenial relationship with competitors. Milt progressed from driving one truck to buying a second truck and hiring his first employee. Dillon Drayage Company was born and along with it, Hawaiian Express Service.

Milt Daly's humble beginnings gave rise to a passion; he could not have known what would become of Hawaiian Express Service.

In 1968, Pete Schaul Sr. (husband to Joy, Milt Daly's niece) came on board as Operations Manager. A year later, Jeff Graham joined the team as Outport Manager. After Milt's passing in 1972, Pete took over as General Manager, Jeff was promoted to Operations Manager, and Joy came on "just to help out" as she says. Well, as time went on, the business grew. Upon Pete's death in 1986, Joy Schaul and Jeff Graham took over management. In January of 1987, with their strong belief in what Milt had started, they purchased Hawaiian Express from the Daly family.

Since their start back in 1969, Jeff and Joy have seen many changes in the industry. The strong, steady growth of the company has made it a leader in the industry. Hawaiian Express Service, Inc. now runs two 90,000 sf terminals in Hayward and La Mirada, CA, plus locations in Washington, Nevada, New Jersey, and the Hawaiian Islands.

All of this success can be attributed to a great team of knowledgeable, loyal employees who put you, our customer, first. Through our combined efforts, Hawaiian Express Service, Inc. has retained its reputation as the premiere forwarder to Hawaii, as well as Guam and Alaska.

We are the longest continually running freight forwarder to the Hawaiian Islands, and plan to stay that way.